different between acerbic vs stinging

English

Etymology

Attested since the 17th century, from Latin acerbus (“sour, bitter”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??s??(?)b?k/
• (US) enPR: ?-sûr'b?k, IPA^(key): /??s?(?)b?k/
• Rhymes: -??(?)b?k

Adjective

acerbic (comparative more acerbic, superlative most acerbic)

1. Tasting sour or bitter.
   • 1998 Aug. 5, Dr. Peter Gott, "Can inhaler cause addiction?," Catoosa County News (retrieved 19 Sep 2009):

     Those consumers who object to the acerbic taste of garlic can purchase de-odorized garlic or allicin extract.

2. (figuratively) Sharp, harsh, biting.
   • 1986 Sept. 22, "West Germany: Last Taunts From the Lip," Time (retrieved 25 Apr 2014):

     Supercompetent, superconfident and supercritical, Schmidt is a gifted orator whose acerbic wit earned him the nickname "Schmidt the Lip."

   • 2005 May 5, Jay Mathews, "Don't Fire This Professor," Washington Post, p. T6:

     [H]e is one of the most acerbic people in his field, quick to take offense and not shy about telling people with whom he disagrees how much he thinks they have failed in thought and action.

Synonyms

• (sour or bitter): acerb, acrid, acrimonious (archaic)
• (sharp, biting): acrid, acrimonious (archaic), scathing

Translations

Anagrams

• breccia

English

Etymology

From Middle English styngyng; equivalent to sting +? -ing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?st????/
• Rhymes: -????

Adjective

stinging (comparative more stinging, superlative most stinging)

1. Having the capacity to sting.

   stinging nettles

2. (figuratively) Precise and hurtful
   • 2017 September 27, David Browne, "Hugh Hefner, 'Playboy' Founder, Dead at 91," Rolling Stone

     That same year, a young Gloria Steinem went undercover as a Playboy Bunny at one of his Playboy Clubs and wrote a stinging inside critique of the magazine's ethos and chauvinism in an article, titled "A Bunny's Tale," which was published in Show magazine.

Derived terms

• stingingly

Verb

stinging

1. present participle of sting

Noun

stinging (plural stingings)

1. The act by which someone receives a sting.

   the stingings of scorpions

   stingings of remorse